WEBINAR:On-Demand

"So let's get down to the projects that people are
worried about. Certainly, Java, which was released by Sun under
GPL2 in 2007 is one of concern because the Java Specification
Requests which formalize the standardization of the language in
order to be certified as "Kosher" Java is controlled by Sun under
the Java Community Process (JCP) which is presumably going to be
run by Oracle shortly. What this means is if you want to build a
Java Virtual Machine that is certified as actual Java in the
future, or propose new additions to Java, you'll have to play the
same game with Oracle that you've been playing with Sun all this
time. If Oracle is actually smart, they'll make it easier for
companies to participate in this process. Then nobody will complain
about the swallowing. Many people use the official Sun JVM, but
some companies have licensed "Kosher" Java as defined under the JCP
and JSRs and built their own. IBM, for example, has its J9, which
it uses with its Websphere Application Server (WAS). Unisys has
also built its own version for large SMP systems, although it has
not been updated in some time. It should also be noted that a fully
Open Source, Free GPL2 JVM has been released as OpenJDK and IcedTea
and only has a very small amount of legal "encumberances" left in
it before it can be considered a completely self-hosting
environment and free of any dependent pieces that are in
binary-only form.

"The question of course remains is if Oracle will continue in
Sun's tradition with the OpenJDK, permit it to be fully recognized
as an implementation of "Kosher" Java and if it will allow the JCP
to continue as normally or even in a more open and collaborative
manner, as some of it’s critics would hope. Indeed, If it
throttles back and Oracle follows its usual constrictus
siliconvallis instincts, that doesn't mean it's the end the world.
It means that like many projects before it, IcedTea and OpenJDK
will inevitably fork, and some other organization will issue its
own JCP and JSR replacement."